Death by A/C?
 

Very shitty day. Not only did I oversleep for my first final, my Z didn't even make it to school for a review session for my second final of the semester.

Woke up to a nice 90+ degree socal Saturday. I've had my Z for almost three months and for the first time I decided to use the A/C for my entire trip. I usually drive with my windows down and I rarely use the A/C and if I do it's for a short burst.

On my way to class, I made a right turn (pretty hard right turn), I drove for another quarter mile and then power cut off and the car sputtered and stalled. Thankfully no one was behind me. Pulled to the side and tried to start the car again. It would either turn on and then stall and die after 2-3 seconds, or as I'm trying to have it turn over the car would just shake and jutter.

The car has the 6 speed manual. I was not slamming through the gears and revving the car out. The car was up to normal operating temperature.

The time was around 2 o clock and it was about 95 degrees. Towed the car home and let it sit till about 8:30ish. Turned the car on and like magic, it started. When my car died earlier in the day it had 5 dots of fuel, when I turned it on again at night I had a dot over half a tank. Let it idle for 10 mins. Normal idle, no drops or rises in rpm. I did smell quite a lot of gas. Took it for a spin around the block, everything seemed normal.

I have searched the problem up and the only possibilities I could think of are:
1. Fuel starvation from the hard right turn right before it died.
2. A/C clutch seizing up and stalling the car.
3. Fuel pump overheated.

Can someone PLEASE explain what the hell is going on? I love my Z. I don't wanna see her in pain :(

your first guess is the right one and you also may want to check into having your fuel sending unit checked out as it seems to be reporting the wrong fuel level....next time you go to a gas station check how much it takes to top off and see if the gauge reads correctly.

Would you think the tow trucks bed being at such an incline would've sloshed around the fuel and the sensors?

Also!!!!! I just remembered. Thursday night after I changed my front pads and rotors, I went to go break them in. I was on a very long and straight road with no lights or stops signs. I was ripping it through the gears and when going from 3rd to 4th my car lost power for a second. Car temp was around 220 and outside was around 70 degrees. I just assumed maybe it was because of my brakes my car lurched but idk today's situations making me think. I was also at 3/4s of a tank.

Put some fuel in it and make sure you keep it above a 1/2 a tank till you get it looked at.

This happens because like Z_elot pointed out the fuel sender is probably off and not giving you an accurate reading.

The saddle design of the fuel tanks don't help either when it get below a 1/4 tank.

Will do!! But :( what measurement should I believe ? It had a quarter of a tank now it reads half?? . Also, would a fuel sender issue explain why I got power cut going in a straight line Thursday night?

If you lost power then it may be a more serious issue than a fuel sending unit, being as your Z is an 09 i would have the fuel pump checked out as there are starting to be quite a few cases including myself of the fuel pump becoming detached from it's mounting posts.

Get an OBD tool. Check for any PIDs DTCs. Keep the OBD tool in the car and check for PIDs DTCs next time the problem happens.

Edit: Your problem is, as everyone is saying, probably a fuel pump problem - but it's difficult to diagnose problems over the 'Net. Modern cars are very good at diagnosing themselves. Get one of the fancier OBD tools and you can monitor various engine params to further aid your troubleshooting. With an OBD tool and the FSM, you can DIY most of your troubleshooting.

Late edit: Should be DTCs instead of PIDs

:iagree:

Was having the same symptoms.(false fuel gauge reading,power loss for a second)
Fuel pump failed and was hanging by the wires and hose.

The old pump tends to fail,(hard bump,fender bender) cause they come with only one spring that hold the lower portion (canister), the new version come with dual springs for rigidity.
Hope this help

Thank you so much for the feedback! Would I be able to change the fuel pump myself or is it a difficult job that would require a more experienced mechanic? Also I was searching how to access the fuel tank but the only info I got was that it's under the passenger seat. Any one have any instructions or diy on how to remove the tank?

There's at least one sending unit R&R DIY on this site. Try using one of the major web search engines and add "site:the370z.com" to your search string.

The FSM is a great resource. Link in my sig.

Fuel tanks saddles the tunnel and is behind both seats.

Dont need to remove the tank.

http://www.the370z.com/forced-induct...mp-thread.html

phunk/charles from
CJ Motorsports
have the link to the PDF on that thread.

Headed to GCC huh? :happydance: